Vegan Bay Scallops in Lemon Caper Sauce

Ingredients

8 oz baby king oyster mushrooms
1 shallot, diced
2-3 tsp oil-free smoked roasted garlic (or sub plain roasted garlic or 1 tsp finely minced fresh garlic)
2 tsp capers with the brine
Juice & zest of 1 small lemon
Fresh parsley to taste
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Splashes of hot water (or pasta cooking water) or optional white wine as needed to deglaze
See serving suggestions below

Method

To a non-stick skillet add the shallot, garlic, capers, brine and lemon zest. Cover tightly and cook over medium high heat undisturbed for 3-5 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice the mushrooms into about 1/4” – 1/2” discs as desired & set aside. Note: they will shrink during cooking.
Stir the aromatics and add a splash of water or dry white wine as needed to deglaze the pan & create a tiny bit of sauce. Continue cooking until the shallot is soft.
Add the lemon juice and “scallops” and toss well. Cover and cook about 3-5 minutes, until the scallops become almost glossy and the texture is what you remember from your seafood days, stirring occasionally. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Overcooking will result in rubbery scallops.
Toss in the parsley, salt & pepper. Plate and serve immediately.

Serving suggestions

Serve over pasta of choice (we choose brown rice noodles) or garlic mashed potatoes, a crisp side salad and a thick slice of toasted sourdough bread spread with roasted garlic & a twist of salt.

Notes

To make oil-free roasted garlic, wrap about a fitful of peeled garlic in parchment paper; then wrap the parchment bundle in aluminum foil foil and roast @ 325 degrees until soft, anywhere from 30-60 minutes. Actual cooking time will depend of volume.
To make oil-free SMOKED roasted garlic, place garlic in a single layer on a perforated baking/grill sheet and smoke for about an hour for mild flavor, or longer for stronger smoke flavor. Proceed with step 1 above.
Tabletop smoker https://amzn.to/4fJimjj (You’ll never go back to liquid smoke)